Person

Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon

1510–1571 · 16th century

Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon was a French naval officer and Knight of Malta who in 1555, backed by Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, founded France Antarctique in Guanabara Bay, Brazil. He built Fort Coligny on an island, but religious quarrels with Calvinist settlers divided the colony and he returned to France in 1559. The Portuguese destroyed it and founded Rio de Janeiro.

Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon
Image: Nicolas Lagneau · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

France Antarctique

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nicolas-durand-de-villegaignon
MLA
“Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nicolas-durand-de-villegaignon. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nicolas-durand-de-villegaignon.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nicolas-durand-de-villegaignon (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻